Justin Bieber:
He may not be making much music these days, but the 19-year-old Canadian pop star is making plenty of headlines. In January, Bieber was charged with DUI, driving with an expired license and resisting arrest by police in Miami after drag racing a yellow Lamborghini through a residential neighborhood. Bieber also recently plead no contest to a misdemeanor vandalism charge for throwing eggs at a neighbor's house in Los Angeles, while he has also been accused of assaulting a limo driver in Toronto and roughing up a photographer back in Miami. The kid is prolific. less

Justin Bieber:
He may not be making much music these days, but the 19-year-old Canadian pop star is making plenty of headlines. In January, Bieber was charged with DUI, driving with an expired license and ... more

Image 2 of 25

Lady Gaga:
You don’t want to take her out to the ballgame. The pop singer was allegedly banned from the New York Yankees clubhouse in 2010 after she attended a game dressed in underwear, then proceeded to drunkenly slur her words and repeatedly grab her breasts while meeting the team. Just a week before, Gaga went to a Mets game dressed in a bra and flipped off photographers, prompting security to move her into comedian Jerry Seinfeld’s box. “This woman is a jerk,” was his response. “You give people the finger and you get upgraded? Is that the world we’re living in now?” less

Lady Gaga:
You don’t want to take her out to the ballgame. The pop singer was allegedly banned from the New York Yankees clubhouse in 2010 after she attended a game dressed in underwear, then proceeded to ... more

Photo: Getty Images

Image 3 of 25

Ozzy Osbourne:
He bit the head off a bat onstage, snorted up a row of ants and, before a 1982 concert, lifted up his dress (don't ask) and relieved himself on the Alamo memorial in San Antonio, TX. But in 1989, Ozzy attempted to strangle his wife Sharon after a five-day drinking binge. "I used to black out a lot,” he said. “And my biggest fear was waking up in a police cell and having an old lady say to a police officer, ‘Yes, that's the guy who ran my husband down,’ or, ‘That's the guy who hit my son over the head with an axe.’ It used to terrify me and then it happened.” less

Ozzy Osbourne:
He bit the head off a bat onstage, snorted up a row of ants and, before a 1982 concert, lifted up his dress (don't ask) and relieved himself on the Alamo memorial in San Antonio, TX. But in ... more

Image 4 of 25

Axl Rose:
The Guns N’ Roses singer has a long juvenile delinquency record, not to mention all the times he was arrested for inciting a riot. Then there was the time he got into a fistfight with the fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger at a New York nightclub in 2006. Hilfiger, who was 55 at the time, hit Rose, who was 44, in the arm after the singer moved his girlfriend’s drink. Things escalated from there. “He just kept smacking me,” Rose said. There to play a surprise set for "Rent" actress Rosario Dawson for her 27th birthday party, Rose dedicated the song "You're Crazy" to "my good friend Tommy Hilfiger." less

Axl Rose:
The Guns N’ Roses singer has a long juvenile delinquency record, not to mention all the times he was arrested for inciting a riot. Then there was the time he got into a fistfight with the fashion ... more

Image 5 of 25

Image 6 of 25

Britney Spears:
The pop singer’s "Mickey Mouse Club" façade began to crack in 2004 after her shotgun Vegas wedding with childhood friend Jason Alexander (no, not that one). They were wed for 55 magical hours before the union was annulled. "It was me being silly, being rebellious, and not really taking the responsibility of what I was doing, you know?” Spears explained. It was nothing compared to the antics to come: Two years later, she suffered several mental breakdowns following her separation from second husband Kevin Federline, partied with Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan sans underwear, lost visitation rights with her two children, shaved her head, smashed out the windows of an SUV with an umbrella and released the single "Work Bitch." less

Britney Spears:
The pop singer’s "Mickey Mouse Club" façade began to crack in 2004 after her shotgun Vegas wedding with childhood friend Jason Alexander (no, not that one). They were wed for 55 magical ... more

Image 7 of 25

Paul McCartney:
The former Beatle spent 10 days in a Japanese jail in 1980 after he arrived in the country with his band Wings and half a pound of marijuana. He claimed it was, "too good to flush down the toilet" (the weed, not the band). The tour was canceled and after doing his time, the singer was deported. "It was the daftest thing I’ve done in my entire life," he later said. Not counting "Ebony and Ivory." less

Paul McCartney:
The former Beatle spent 10 days in a Japanese jail in 1980 after he arrived in the country with his band Wings and half a pound of marijuana. He claimed it was, "too good to flush down the ... more

Image 8 of 25

James Brown:
In 1988, the soul singer led cops on an interstate car chase that ended after police shot out two tires on his pickup truck – just months after he was arrested on drug and weapons charges. In 2004, Brown was arrested again on domestic violence charges, following an argument with his wife of three years, Tomi Rae Brown, who allegedly told him she had never divorced her previous husband. See the fabulous mugshot above. He must have felt bad. less

James Brown:
In 1988, the soul singer led cops on an interstate car chase that ended after police shot out two tires on his pickup truck – just months after he was arrested on drug and weapons charges. In ... more

Photo: Getty Images

Image 9 of 25

Bob Dylan:
In town to perform with Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp, the artist formerly known as Robert Zimmerman gave the residents of Long Branch, New Jersey a scare in 2009. They called police after reportedly spotting an "eccentric-looking old man" in their neighborhood, peeking into the windows a vacant home. The responding officer, Kristie Buble, couldn't identify him because he was wearing two raincoats and black sweatpants and not carrying any ID. Also, because she was under 50. “I thought, this guy is crazy,” she recalled. Dylan was released after he was driven back to his tour bus, where his manager threw a tantrum and produced a passport. less

Bob Dylan:
In town to perform with Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp, the artist formerly known as Robert Zimmerman gave the residents of Long Branch, New Jersey a scare in 2009. They called police after ... more

Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP

Image 10 of 25

Image 11 of 25

Chuck Berry:
The rock 'n' roll maverick got an early start, earning an armed robbery conviction while still in high school. Years later, in 1959, he served three years at the Indiana Federal Prison for transporting a 14-year-old prostitute across state lines for "immoral purposes." His respone? “She was anything but innocent.” In 1994, Berry was sued by 60 women for allegedly videotaping them in the bathroom of his restaurant in Missouri. Charges were dropped when he agreed to financially compensate the victims. less

Chuck Berry:
The rock 'n' roll maverick got an early start, earning an armed robbery conviction while still in high school. Years later, in 1959, he served three years at the Indiana Federal Prison for ... more

Image 12 of 25

Kid Rock:
Before he got in the fight with Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee at the MTV Music Video Awards and the fight with a stranger at a Georgia Waffle House, Kid Rock plead no contest in yet another fight with a strip club DJ in Nashville in 2005. Rock apparently took exception when a member of his entourage objected to the club's closing time by shouting, "The DJ sucks!" To which said DJ allegedly responded, "Shut up. This is my job. I don't bother you when you're digging in trash cans." less

Kid Rock:
Before he got in the fight with Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee at the MTV Music Video Awards and the fight with a stranger at a Georgia Waffle House, Kid Rock plead no contest in yet another fight ... more

Image 13 of 25

Ashlee Simpson:
Jessica’s little sister’s best on-camera performance wasn’t when she got caught lip-syncing on "Saturday Night Live" but rather a 2005 surveillance video from a Toronto area McDonald’s, in which Ashlee drunkenly crawls on top of the counter, demands to see a manager and refuses to take a picture with a fan because he won’t kiss her feet. Anything to keep that 15 minutes of fame thing happening. less

Ashlee Simpson:
Jessica’s little sister’s best on-camera performance wasn’t when she got caught lip-syncing on "Saturday Night Live" but rather a 2005 surveillance video from a Toronto area ... more

Photo: Getty Images

Image 14 of 25

Jerry Lee Lewis:
The Killer lived up to his name more than once. A serial bigamist, two of his ex-wives died under unusual circumstances (he was never charged). Meanwhile, he shot his own bass player and stabbed the editor of a country music magazine with a broken bottle. Then there was the time in 1976 when he showed up at the gates of Graceland in his new Lincoln Continental, intent on killing Elvis but somehow ended up smashing a champagne bottle in his own face instead. Elvis supposedly watched the whole thing go down on his closed-circuit monitors. less

Jerry Lee Lewis:
The Killer lived up to his name more than once. A serial bigamist, two of his ex-wives died under unusual circumstances (he was never charged). Meanwhile, he shot his own bass player and ... more

Image 15 of 25

Image 16 of 25

Peter Buck of R.E.M.:
The gentle R.E.M. guitarist had a bizarre incident on a British Airways flight in 2001, during which he drank more than a dozen glasses of wine, hurled yogurt around the cabin and physically attacked several crewmembers. Buck blamed the whole thing on the sleeping pill he took before takeoff, saying he had no recollection of what happened: "I am very sorry for the incident, and, of course, very embarrassed about the whole thing." less

Peter Buck of R.E.M.:
The gentle R.E.M. guitarist had a bizarre incident on a British Airways flight in 2001, during which he drank more than a dozen glasses of wine, hurled yogurt around the cabin and ... more

Photo: 2008 Getty Images

Image 17 of 25

Fiona Apple:
The singer-songwriter spent a night in jail in 2012, when authorities at a border stop in Sierra Blanca, Texas alleged they found hashish on her tour bus. There were seven other people on the bus, but Apple admitted the drugs were hers and everybody else was allowed to drive on. less

Fiona Apple:
The singer-songwriter spent a night in jail in 2012, when authorities at a border stop in Sierra Blanca, Texas alleged they found hashish on her tour bus. There were seven other people on the ... more

Image 18 of 25

Jim Morrison:
The Doors frontman liked to get a rise out of his fans. But in 1969 Miami police alleged he crossed the line when during a concert at the Dinner Key Auditorium he asked 10,000 of them, "Do you want to see my c—?" There was never any proof that Morrison actually exposed himself but a year after the incident he was sentenced to six months in prison for indecent exposure and profanity. He died in Paris while his appeal was pending. In 2010, Florida Governor Charlie Crist put the matter to rest by pardoning the Lizard King. less

Jim Morrison:
The Doors frontman liked to get a rise out of his fans. But in 1969 Miami police alleged he crossed the line when during a concert at the Dinner Key Auditorium he asked 10,000 of them, "Do you ... more

Image 19 of 25

Bjork:
Arriving at Bangkok Airport after a long flight in 1996, the Icelandic singer was greeted by a local reporter who went up to her then 10-year-old son Sindri and said, "Welcome to Thailand!" Bjork responded by repeatedly slapping the woman and throwing her to the ground. The journalist later got an apology from the singer and did not press charges. less

Bjork:
Arriving at Bangkok Airport after a long flight in 1996, the Icelandic singer was greeted by a local reporter who went up to her then 10-year-old son Sindri and said, "Welcome to Thailand!" Bjork ... more

Image 20 of 25

Image 21 of 25

Rick James:
In 1994, the Super Freak was jailed for assault and false imprisonment after he and his girlfriend were accused of kidnapping a 24-year-old woman, burning her with a crack pipe while forcing her to perform sexual acts... for six days. All this happened while James was on parole for kidnapping a music executive and beating her over a 20-hour period. He served two years in Folsom Prison. less

Rick James:
In 1994, the Super Freak was jailed for assault and false imprisonment after he and his girlfriend were accused of kidnapping a 24-year-old woman, burning her with a crack pipe while forcing her ... more

Image 22 of 25

Boy George:
The Culture Club singer went through a rather long rough spell before recently cleaning up his act, hitting bottom when he was convicted for assault and false imprisonment of a 29-year-old Norwegian male escort in 2007, whom he handcuffed to a wall and beat with a chain after accusing him of hacking into his computer. George was sentenced to 15 months in jail. Two years earlier, police found cocaine in his New York home, resulting in a community service conviction that saw him picking up trash in the streets. less

Boy George:
The Culture Club singer went through a rather long rough spell before recently cleaning up his act, hitting bottom when he was convicted for assault and false imprisonment of a 29-year-old ... more

Image 23 of 25

Serge Gainsbourg:
The French pop icon made a career out of bad behavior, singing a duet with his 14-year-old daughter on a song called "Lemon Incest," drawing ire from his countrymen by releasing a reggae version of the national anthem, "La Marseillaise" and lighting a 500 franc note on fire on live television. His finest moment came on a 1986 prime time television show, when seated next to a young Whitney Houston, he told the host that he wanted "to f--- her." less

Serge Gainsbourg:
The French pop icon made a career out of bad behavior, singing a duet with his 14-year-old daughter on a song called "Lemon Incest," drawing ire from his countrymen by releasing a reggae ... more

Image 24 of 25

Wendy O. Williams:
In 1981, the singer for punk pioneers the Plasmatics caught the attention of Milwaukee police for appearing onstage at the Palms nightlclub wearing nothing but shaving cream and electrical tape while simulating fellatio and masturbation with a sledgehammer. And you wonder where Lady Gaga and Miley Cyrus get it from. less

Wendy O. Williams:
In 1981, the singer for punk pioneers the Plasmatics caught the attention of Milwaukee police for appearing onstage at the Palms nightlclub wearing nothing but shaving cream and electrical ... more

Image 25 of 25

Rock stars behaving badly

1 / 25

Back to Gallery

Why can’t rock stars behave? Since the beginning of time, they have been throwing tantrums, flashing their private parts in public spaces and fighting the law (the law usually wins). We take a look at some of the biggest offenders.